Life After Hogworts
by The Mini Marauderettes
Summary: Now that they've left Hogworts, James Potter is growing up! He's even getting married and his wife wants kids! Thank God sober Remus is there to help...and Sirius is there to keep him insane!


James awoke but didn't get out of bed. Instead he rolled over to see Lily asleep next to him, peaceful and beautiful, as always. He brushed a strand of hair away from her face and watched her sleep. Last night had been perfect; James had taken Lily to her favourite restaurant (and spent a ridiculous amount of money on a salad), then afterwards, when walking round a secluded park, he had bent down on one knee and asked her to marry him. She said yes. She had cried because she was so happy and James felt like the luckiest man in the world. Then after they had arrived back home, Lily had made him feel even more lucky!

She was the most beautiful, most perfect, most wonderful woman he had ever met. And now she had agreed to be with him forever. He sighed, smiling at her. Right now, life was wonderful.

Lily sighed lightly then opened her eyes.

"Morning" whispered James, lying on his back as she moved to rest her head on his chest.

"Morning"

He stroked her hair, running his fingers through it and smiled at her. "You ok?"

She held her left hand out in front of her, looking at the ring then turned back to smile at James. "What do you think?"

"Happy?"

"Of course."

"Good." James' smile widened, "When you're happy, that means the world to me."

* * *

Later on that day, Lily had left to meet some friends and break the good news to her parents. So James had decided to meet the other Marauders in Diagon Alley.

"What's up James?" Asked Remus as they entered the pub and picked a table to sit at.

"Oh, just thought the gang hadn't hung out for a while. So y'know..."

Sirius eyed him suspiciously. "What do you want?"

"Nothing, nothing." James smirked into his drink.

"Hmm..."

"So what've you guys been upto lately?" James asked quickly.

"Not much."

"The usual."

"I bought a new hat!" Everyone stared at Peter for a moment. "A big hat."

There was silence.

"You always were the rebel, Wormtail." Said James, raising his glass to Peter.

"What about you James?" Remus asked in a strained voice. Sirius held his mug to his face to hide his grin at James' remark.

"Oh nothing too major. Little of this. Little of that. Oh yeah! And I got engaged."

Sirius almost choked on his drink, Remus stared at James, open-mouthed, whilst Peter spilled salt all over Remus' lap.

"Wow James! Congrats!" Said Remus, beaming at him.

"Why," asked Sirius, "was I not informed of this earlier?!"

"Too who?" asked Peter.

James and Remus simply stared at him with blank expressions whilst Sirius threw napkins at him.

"What was that for? What's with the napkins?" asked Peter.

"It was either the napkins or my drink and I aint throwing this. I paid good...hahaha...Moony paid good money for this drink!"

"I did?"

"So...you got engaged eh Prongs? When did this happen?" said Sirius quickly, avoiding Remus' hard stare.

"Um...last night."

"Last night eh?" Sirius smirked slightly. "I thought you looked a bit more pleased with yourself than normal. Get any action then?"

Remus suddenly jumped to his feet making the other three jump slightly. "More drinks?" He asked.

"But Moony, I haven't even started my -"

"I'll get more drinks! No no you just keep talking about this I'll be back when it's finished." And with that, he briskly marched into the bathroom.

"Strange man. Anyway, where is she?"

"Oh she's out with her friends, or maybe with her parents. Or something like that I'm not too sure on the details to be honest."

"Lotta help you are!" said Sirius, taking another drink. "Oh hi, Moony! Anyway James you didn't answer my action question!"

Remus, having finally emerged from the toilets, did an about turn and was about to walk back the way he'd came when James stood up and caught his arm. He quickly nodded to Sirius to gave him a thumbs up in return, putting his hands back on the table just in time for Remus to face him.

"Why does it wig you out so much, Moony?" asked Sirius as Remus had sat back down.

"It doesn't. Really!" He added for James and Sirius had looked at each other with a look on their faces which suggested they didn't believe him. "It doesn't bother me that they do it...it's the natural way of things I guess. I just don't see why we have to sit here and discuss it. It should be between him and Li -"

"Yeah, we get it, you're a big scaredy wolf who gets freaked at the idea of your mates –"

"SO!" shouted Remus rather loudly, making several surrounding people stare at him. He turned a deep shade of pink, took a large swig of his drink and cleared his throat a little, "When's the wedding, Prongs?"

"Who's wedd – oh! Um...I don't think we've planned that far ahead yet."

"You kidding?" Sirius laughed at him "Lily is a girl!"

There was a short pause. "...yeah"

"So, she will have had this wedding planned from the minute she could say it!"

"Shut-up!" James picked up a napkin from Peter's head.

"It does seem to be *hic* common amongst...the females." Remus added

"Face it Prongs, your opinion is second to none in this. You said she was out with her friends today right?"

"Yeah..."

"Well. They've probably started planning it already!"

"You think so?"James started to twist the napkin round and round in his hands, looking rather nervous.

"I know so," Sirius replied smugly, "oh Prongs, you know so little. Even after all this time I haven't rubbed off on you at all...it's disappointing really" Sirius actually looked rather crestfallen, James looked at him oddly.

"Oh and like you know so much about women, do you Sirius?" asked Remus, taking another large swig of his drink.

"More than you, textbook-boy!"

"I'll have you know," Remus pointed a finger at Sirius "that my *hic* expertise on women are very high!"

"Moony?" James looked warily into Remus' glass while Sirius stared confused at Remus' finger.

"Does that even make sense?" asked Sirius.

"Moony." Repeated James, "how many of these have you had?"

"Oh that be my first!" Remus smiled rather stupidly at them.

"Hey!" squeaked Peter "where did my drink go?"

Sirius and James stared from the four empty glasses on the table to Remus' slightly pink face. He had started to hum slightly, swaying as he did so.

"He never could handle his drink." Sighed Sirius.

"How, in the name of Merlin's beard, did you manage to drink all four of our drinks without us even noticing?"

Remus stared at him. He blinked rather rapidly then shook his head a little. "What?"

Sirius snorted a little, he looked very much like he was trying not to laugh. James looked a little impressed. "No, seriously Moony..."

"Magic, Prongs! It's all in the *hic* wand!" Remus said while downing the last of his drink in one large gulp.

"I...think it's time we went home" said James.

"But you didn't even have a drink." Said Peter

"I wonder why that is!" said James, turning to face Remus who started to giggle.

"Ok!" exclaimed Sirius, jumping to his feet and grabbing Remus' arm. "Humming is fine, giggling I do not permit!" He furiously tried to haul Remus out of his seat but Remus made no effort to move.

James dropped his head into his hands. He may have to carefully plan his Stag night...

* * *

Remus merrily skipped up the path to James' house, "I think we need to get him a lead," said James.

"I find it quite amusing," said Sirius.

"Who knew that such a book-worm could be such a party animal?"

"You're kidding right?"

"How did you know?" replied Sirius flatly as Remus burst through the front door shouting "HONEY IM HOOOME!" James ran up behind Remus and slapped his hand over Remus' mouth.

"James?" Came lily's voice from the living room.

"Hey Lils," Said James, keeping his hand over Remus' mouth and with the other he began to steer his intoxicated friend into the living room.

"How come you came home so early?" Lily asked as James stepped into the living room where he was greeted by the sight of his fiancé surrounded by her friends all of them had turned to look at James as he came in, while Lily quickly shut the large book on her lap and sat on it

"Someone had a senior moment," James explained.

"What?"

"Remus got drunk," Said Sirius flatly.

"I see." Said Lily, eyeing Remus warily.

At that point Remus broke free from James' grip and bounded forward to squeeze Lily in a hug. Lily, taken by surprise, looked at James over Remus' shoulder confused. "Oh Lily honey," Remus gushed "I am so happy for you, anything I can do, anything. Just ask okay?" He pulled back and grinned at her broadly as Lily smiled tentatively, several of her friends giggled, most of them were staring at Sirius.

"Thank you Remus, that's very kind."

"So what's with the book?" asked James.

"Oh, nothing." Lily's eyes widened. James eyed her suspiciously.

"Well then," he said "if it's nothing... can I see it?"

"NO! Uh...I mean no no sweetie it really wouldn't interest you."

"Why not? If it's something you care about then I care about it too!"

Sirius made barfing noises in the corner and Lily's friends all started to giggle. Sirius grinned at them.

"It's...girly stuff."

James looked at Lily. Lily smiled at James.

"Hey, Padfoot" said Peter

"What?" snapped Sirius, he was busy talking to a particularly pretty brunette.

"Where'd Moony go?"

"What do you mean wh – MOONY! Wormtail, you check downstairs, I'll go upstairs. GO GO GO!"

"On my way, Padfoot..."

Sirius sprinted up the stairs praying that Remus hadn't died in the toilet or something equally as disgusting which Sirius would have to deal with himself. He checked the bathroom – nothing. He checked the linen cupboard –nothing. He checked the spare room – nothing. He checked the master bedroom (and James' drawers just in case) – nothing. "Eww Prongs, you don't keep secret cookies in the underwear drawer!" (but he ate them anyway.)

"What took you so long?" asked Peter as Sirius walked back down the stairs, wiping his mouth.

"Hmm? Oh, I had more rooms to check than you. I was being thorough! Anyway, did you find him?"

"Nope. Looked everywhere. Even the back garden. He's not there."

"Damn." Sirius ran into the living room waving his arms "Prongs, code red CODE RED!"

"Code red?"

"We have a missing person, well we don't have a missing person – because he's missing, but the point is he _is_ missing...and a person."

"What?" James looked utterly confused.

"Moony has left the building, Prongs! Moony had **left** the building!"

"Calm down. He's probably in the kitchen or something." James thought Sirius was over-reacting somewhat, he tended to show off around pretty girls.

"He's not in the kitchen. Wormtail checked there."

"He's a big boy..."

"He's DRUNK!"

There was a short pause in which James and Sirius simply stared at each other.

"You check the house again, I'll go down the street. Wormtail, you go up the street." James said hurriedly "Apparate back once you've found him."

"James," Lily had moved the book to underneath the bum of her best friend and walked over to James "what is going on?"

"Remus, has...gone for a stroll."

"In _that_ condition?"

"We'll find him, don't worry."

"But what if he's Apparated?" cried Lily "How do you expect to find him then?"

"You're right. Why don't you and your friends help too then?"

"And what? Apparate all over the world?! Why not just do a locator spe –"

"No time for negations, Lily. He could be anywhere."

Lily sighed. "Fine. It's a good job I like Remus!"

Within minutes the entire house was emptied except from Sirius (who had tried to take a sneaky peak at Lily's 'girl' book, but the book had began to bark ferociously and bit his finger. Sirius decided he liked books even less now). He sat on the couch, playing with the tassels on one of the pillows. He'd already checked the house there was no point checking it again. Sirius was bored.

**THUD **"Ow..."

Sirius sat up. He hadn't made that noise! It had come from the kitchen. He pulled out his wand and pointed it in front of him, walking slowly towards the kitchen. Upon entering, he had noticed it immediately; a brown shoe on top of a woolly brown sock covering a skinny ankle was sticking out from under the table. Sirius rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Hmm," he said loudly to the room. "I wonder where my good friend Remus could be."

There came a muffled giggle from under the table.

"I've searched everywhere I can think of and still can't find him. I guess I better wait here until he comes back." Sirius pulled out a chair and sat down at the table.

There was a scuffling noise from underneath him and Remus' head popped up from the other side of the table. "Boo!" he shouted.

"Ahh..." said Sirius flatly.

* * *

James returned home half an hour later to find Remus asleep on the couch and Sirius applying Lily's make-up to him.

"Padfoot, what the...?"

"Shh!" hissed Sirius "You might wake him. And I've only done the one eye!"

James sat down beside him on the floor. "Where did you find him?" he asked.

"Under the table in the kitchen," Sirius said casually, as if this happened every day.

"I thought you said Wormtail checked there already?"

"Obviously..."

A loud crack issued from the hallway and Remus stirred slightly but didn't wake up. "You find him?" asked Lily.

"Yes." Sirius and James replied in unison, Sirius having now returned to putting make-up on Remus.

"Where was he?" she asked, entering the living room and immediately picking up the 'girl' book and cradling it to her chest.

"Under our kitchen table," James replied just as casually as Sirius.

"I thought Peter looked in there earlier." Lily replied, looking around for the shorter man.

"He did." Sirius replied scornfully as he continued to slather Remus' lips in 'Jungle red.'

"I see. So you made me and all my friends spilt up, made us search high and low for someone who wasn't even missing in the first place? James I –" She cast a glance in Sirius' direction. "Is that my make-up?"

"No..." Sirius looked up from his finishing touch of putting eye-liner stars on Remus' cheeks and hastily shoved his new tools of creation out of sight.

Lily sighed and turned back to James, too annoyed to pursue the matter any further. "Where is Peter?" She asked.

"Oh he came back a while ago, but I told Remus here to hide under the table again and told Wormtail that we still couldn't find him. I told him you and James had gone to St. Mungos to check the morgue just in case Moony had died." James began to laugh while Lily looked exasperated, "Poor bloke," Sirius continued, "he looked quite worried." Lily rolled her eyes and sighed turning toward the door.

"Someone better go find him," she said.

"I'll go." James volunteered already on his feet and heading toward the front door, he gave Lily a quick peck on the cheek as he passed. "Sorry Lils," he mumbled quietly.

"I'm used to it," she replied and with a small smile and continued "just as well, I'm going to be putting up with you for-"she heaved a great sigh "-ever" She finished. James chuckled and kissed her again this time lightly on the lips.

"See you in a bit Padfoot." He called over his shoulder as he reached the door.

"Bye sweetheart," Sirius replied while continuing his assault on Remus' face.

James didn't even pause, he just sighed and walked out the door. Lily however turned to Sirius questioningly who looked up at her completely serious.

"You'll never love him like I do." He said dramatically.

"You have to buy me new make – up "Was Lily's reply as she too left the room.

Sirius grumbled and turned back to Remus who was still sleeping soundly. He just shrugged and began to add blusher. Moony was in for quite the surprise when he woke up.


End file.
